Fred Thompson, The Former Senator And Law & Order Actor, Dies At 73

Fred Thompson, the former U.S. senator and actor, died Sunday in Nashville, Tenn. He was 73.

Fred Thompson Dies

Thompson died after a long battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, his family said in a statement.

“It is with a heavy heart and a deep sense of grief that we share the passing of our brother, husband, father, and grandfather who died peacefully in Nashville surrounded by his family,” reads the statement from his family. “Our nation has lost a servant, Tennessee has lost a son, and our family has lost its rock.”

Thompson practiced law as an assistant U.S. attorney after getting his J.D. from Vanderbilt in the late 60s. His first foray into politics was working as the campaign manager for Republican U.S. Senator Howard Baker’s reelection campaign in 1972. He subsequently served on the minority counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee.

Twenty years after his involvement in the Watergate investigation, Thompson ran for Senate in Tennessee and won. He served in the Senate from 1994 until 2002, when he declined to run for reelection. In 2007, Thompson opted to reenter politics and launch a bid for the presidency, which he suspended in early 2008 before John McCain became the eventual Republican nominee.

Thompson’s acting career got its start in the mid 80s when he was cast as himself in the film Marie, which was about former chair of the Tennessee Parole Board Marie Ragghiati‘s wrong termination case. In the movie, as in real life, Thompson represented Marie. Thompson went on to appear in a number of feature films, including No Way Out, Die Hard 2, The Hunt for Red October In the Line of Fire and Days of Thunder.

On TV, Thompson is best known for playing D.A. Arthur Branch on Law & Order from 2002-2007. He also made appearances on TV shows Roseanne, Matlock, Sex and the City, Life on Mars and The Good Wife.

Thompson is survived by his wife, Jeri Thompson; their children Hayden and Sammy; his adult children Tony and Dan; and several grandchildren.